-> "Let them have their ticker tape parades, their 'space races,' and their commemorative packets of dehydrated ice cream. While Von Braun takes credit for his Redstone bottle rockets, I am finalizing plans for an inter-planetary fleet that could plant an American flag on every rock and pebble in this solar system by the end of the next decade. I will be watching the sunrise from atop [[UsefulNotes/{{Mars}} the Olympus Mons]] long before NASA takes their first steps on the moon."-->--'''Dr. Wilhelm Arkin''', in his response to the offer of a position at NASA.

''Battlezone'', released by Creator/{{Activision}} in 1998, is set up as a revival of [[VideoGame/{{Battlezone1980}} the earlier games]]. It is a hybrid vehicle combat, {{FPS}}, and {{RTS}}. UsefulNotes/TheSpaceRace [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy was a lie.]] After a meteor shower hits the Arctic circle in 1952, American and Soviet scientists simultaneously discover an [[{{Phlebotinum}} amazing new metallic compound]] capable of being molded into [[RidiculouslyFastConstruction vehicles and equipment at fantastic speeds]] and possessed of unique organic properties. Just as quickly, both sides begin to think about how this new material could further their efforts in the UsefulNotes/ColdWar. The US forms the National Space Defense Force. The Soviet Union in turn forms the [[SovietSuperscience Cosmo Colonist Army]]. Both nations [[{{Masquerade}} sneak their armies into space under the guise of the "Space Race".]]

[[AlternateHistory Thus begins a new, hidden chapter]] of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, the one too brutal to televise. The player's character, American tank pilot and battlefield commander [[PlayerCharacter Grizzly One]], attempts to lead his forces to victory against the Soviets whilst unraveling the mysteries of the bio-metal his superiors command him to kill in order to obtain.

An expansion was released later that same year, developed by Team Evolve, dubbed ''The Red Odyssey''. It takes place largely on Ganymede and [[GaidenGame is contemporaneous with]] the events on the other Galilean moons of the original game. The NSDF Black Dogs, a RagTagBunchOfMisfits who get all the worst missions, have been assigned to Ganymede, a relative backwater in the scope of the conflict going on. Suddenly, a new enemy in Red China attacks, sparking a conflict that eventually takes the player to a distant planet called "Elysium". The CCA are also tangentially involved.

The game was [[ReformulatedGame rebuilt]] in 2000 to the N64 - ''Battlezone: Rise of the Black Dogs'' - It added a third campaign featuring the Black Dogs squadron as well. [[spoiler:This campaign takes place after the NSDF and CCA team up once the Furies become the new enemy. Due to a lack of communication, the Black Dogs believe that the whole thing has been [[TheConspiracy a conspiracy]] and thus set out to collect alien relics and return to Earth with the news, while having to deal with NSDF, CCA ''and'' Fury forces along the way. Their involvement against the CRA in ''The Red Odyssey'' or their eventual fate as the Scions in the sequel is not touched upon]]. The only narration is in the opening of the American campaign and the plot is hard to glean, all communications besides the pre-recorded responses to orders are sent via squint-o-vision text messages in the corner of the screen. Players have the option to both order units around or allow friendly units to be ordered around automatically, presumably because of the limited buttons on the N64 controller compared to a keyboard. The game includes local multiplayer and an arcade mode that more-or-less emulates the [[{{VideoGame/Battlezone1980}} original game]], just in a different combat style.

A sequel, ''[=BattleZone=] II: Combat Commander'', released in late 1999, was developed by Pandemic Studios and set in the late 1990s of this alternate history. It was less well-received for abandoning the highly original Cold War plot in favor of a more standard UN vs. Aliens setup, though it had its fair share of twists. The player this time is John Cooke, a lieutenant in the new International Space Defense Force, [[{{Masquerade}} ostensibly intended]] to safeguard humankind from extrasolar threats. Cue the arrival of a mysterious alien foe, The Scions. A first-person shooter/real-time strategy game experience similar to the original ensues.

''Battlezone 1998'' was updated in 2009 by a former developer (Ken Miller) to version 1.5xx, which resolves almost all compatibility issues with the game, improved the [[ArtificialStupidity dreadful AI]], and improved the game's rendering engine. ''Battlezone II'' has received frequent unofficial patches (by former programmers Ken Miller and Nathan Mates) which have improved the netcode, added new feature and customization, and improved the rendering engine.

[[Creator/{{Rebellion}} Rebellion Developments]] [[http://www.rebellion.co.uk/blog/2015/6/29/an-open-letter-to-battlezone-fans announced]] a re-imagining of the classic arcade game and a remaster of ''Battlezone 1998'', titled ''Battlezone 98 Redux'' which released on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} on April 18th 2016. [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/301650/ Get it here.]] It has support for [[AchievementSystem achievements]], trading cards, [[GameMod workshop addons]] and [[SceneryPorn overhauled graphics with detailed units, smoother terrain, lighting, etc]]. The ''Red Odyssey'' expansion was given this treatment too.

In late 2017, Rebellion announced ''Battlezone: Combat Commander'', a similar remaster of the second game, which released on March 1, 2018. [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/624970/Battlezone_Combat_Commander/ Get it here.]] Both rereleases feature various modern conveniences, such as [[GameMod Steam Workshop]] support.----!!Battlezone provides examples of:* AbnormalAmmo: All of your weapons utilize the same pool of ammunition, courtesy of NanoMachines. What they actually ''fire'' varies greatly, from bog-standard [[MoreDakka bullets and cannon shells]] to [[FrickinLaserBeams lasers and microwave beams.]]%%* ACommanderIsYou* TheAllSeeingAI: In some missions the AI will know if you try to use certain tactics and react instantly, even though the enemy should have no way of knowing this. For example, in the penultimate NSDF mission in the core game your main target is an enemy base behind an extensive minefield. You might get the idea to use howitzers that can easily target the base from the other side of the minefield instead of disabling it with the intended method. Except, if you build howitzers, the enemy air units will immediately make a beeline to the howitzers and prioritize destroying them beyond everything else.* AllThereInTheManual: A considerable amount of {{Backstory}} information can be found in the manual, [[FramingDevice framed as the field operations manual for the NSDF]]. There are many letters, from and to then-President UsefulNotes/DwightDEisenhower, [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure General George Collins]], and other commanders, scientists, operatives and such. There are also analysis of potential celestial bodies to visit, in-depth technical specifications on NSDF weapons and vehicles, as well as "field intelligence" on CCA vehicles that includes their ReportingNames.* AncientAstronauts: The alien ships and structures are all named after Greek gods, and it is outright stated that the race which created them, the Cthonians, [[spoiler: visited and did experiments on the Greeks in the ancient world]].** For example, [[spoiler: an automated vessel called [[MeaningfulName Charon]] was sent by Nexus V to gather DNA from Greek battlefields]].* AndIMustScream:[[spoiler:The Furies, being living tissue fused directly into the hulls of bio-metal war machines. Though they are sentient, their only apparent pastime seems to be [[UnstoppableRage blind rage and destruction.]] They also may be a rather twisted example of TheUndead]].* ArtificialStupidity: Scavengers are infamous for running the player over when on foot. Units will sometimes get stuck in buildings, or taking meandering paths for no apparent reason. The pathfinding AI was improved in the 2011 1.5 patch, though Scavengers still sometimes try to scale sheer cliffs to grab scrap. Tank AI is often suicidally single-minded, focusing on the first thing that damages them to the exclusion of everything else. Gun Towers are easy to fool, once they spot you, they will target you while you're still in range even if you're hiding behind a hill, allowing other units to destroy it('s power source) easily.* ArtisticLicenseAstronomy: [[spoiler:Achilles]] with its Earth-like appearance, while its gravity and atmosphere can be justified by it being Earth-sized when compared to Uranus but it's still far from the Goldilocks zone of the Sun which would otherwise render it an iceball despite its molten core. That and, unless it had a very specific orbit, the whole planet would be shaded by Uranus if it went behind it in its orbit.* ArtisticLicensePhysics: Despite the use of scientifically accurate data to describe the worlds visitable in the game, Battlezone's game mechanics don't vary much to match the environment of each planet. Some examples:** The mobile structures have to be set up on steam geysers for power. The Moon is geologically dead and has no ([[ScienceMarchesOn liquid]]) water, and Europa is an iceball, yet they are still easy to find.** Tanks handle the same on planets like Venus (Earth-like gravity, dense atmosphere) and planetoids like the Moon (0.2g, airless).** Although the game offers several forms of power-producing structures depending on the planetary conditions, what's available doesn't always jive with environment. For example, out by Saturn the Sun's brightness is only about 1/100th of that on Earth, yet solar panel plants can be built there.* AttackItsWeakPoint: While on foot you can snipe the driver of an enemy vehicle and commandeer it. The spot you need to hit is helpfully pointed out to you by a glowing orange light on the vehicle.* BackStory: Any exposition about the Cthonians.* BolivianArmyEnding: [[spoiler:Grizzly One wishes the best to those who find a fallen meteor...]]* BrainUploading: The [[spoiler: Furies get their psychopathic bloodlust from their biometal hulls being imbued with the genetic data of ancient Greek warriors who were dying on the battlefield before being collected by the Cthonians]].* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu: [[spoiler: The NSDF and CCA destroy the Furies, but at the cost of much of the technology they fought the war over. The Cthonians, meanwhile, sacrificed their entire species to destroy them]].* CaptainsLog: Each mission starts off with a spoken journal recording by Grizzly One, detailing his thoughts and feelings about being in a UsefulNotes/ColdWar [[TheGreatestStoryNeverTold gone hot]].* CarFu: The most effective way of eliminating enemy infantry - be it from an APC or ejected pilots - is to simply run them over with your tank.* CharacterCustomization: Each vehicle has a number of modular weapon hardpoints. You can upgrade from the weapons you begin a level with by ordering an Armory to build you new ones.* UsefulNotes/ColdWar: Gone hot in secret, with the United States' NSDF versus the Soviet Union's CCA.* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: NSDF vehicles and buildings tend to be black with white and blue detailing with brownish-yellow indicating utility vehicles, while CCA ones are red-on-white with completely red for utility vehicles.* TheConspiracy: A news report played over the original installer makes mention of two high profile murders occuring around the same time as [[UsefulNotes/TheSpaceRace the forming of NASA,]] of a geophysicist and a strategist who worked together on the expedition to study the '52 meteor shower. Officially, there's no connection... but [[AllThereInTheManual the manual reveals]] that the former conducted an analysis of the bio-metal, and the latter was involved in field-testing of the resulting vehicles.* ConvectionSchmonvection: Averted, [[ArtisticLicensePhysics though it brings up another issue entirely]] - The lava on Io will damage your tank as you hover over it, but heat convection requires a medium - and Io has only a trace atmosphere. It could be argued that the heat is ''radiating'' off of the lava but your equipment would have to be radiation proof already to survive being so close to Jupiter and it's also implied your units and structures can survive the 872 °F ambient temperature on Venus.* CosmeticallyDifferentSides: NSDF and CCA units are roughly equivalent to each other. NSDF units on the whole are faster, CCA ones better armored.* CoversAlwaysLie: The cover for the 1998 game features a tank that doesn't exist in the game which has red flaming exhaust and an independently aimed turret - neither of which are in the first game.* DeathFromAbove: Various mortar weapons can be equipped on vehicles that can use them. Each side also has a mobile, deployable artillery unit: The NSDF "Longbow" and the CCA "Cannoneer". At least two missions require you to ascend plateaus to take out artillery units.** Given a conveniently placed nearby cliff, it's often possible to drop directly into an enemy base, bypassing perimeter defenses. This is even a mission objective in one Venus level in the NSDF campaign.** The Armory has no direct-damage weapons, but nonetheless has one of the nastiest attacks in the game: the [[MeaningfulName Day Wrecker]] bomb, which you can order it to catapult to a location of your choosing, as with any PowerUp.* DifficultySpike: After the Furies are introduced, losing your tank changes from a minor inconvenience into a death sentence.* DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist: Losing a tank is never that big a deal, early on; it's not that hard to blast a CCA pilot and hijack his tank. Averted once [[spoiler: the Furies]] appear; you can't hijack them and the tremendous blast radius of their missiles will most likely kill anyone on foot. And that's if they don't relentlessly chase you down and fry you with their LightningGun.* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: Three of the weapons, one named the MDM Mortar in which the MDM stands for Manual-Detonation-Mortar, making it Manual-Detonation-Mortar Mortar. Then there's the MAG Cannon, the MAG standing for Magnetic-Acceleration-Gun which makes it Magnetic-Acceleration-Gun Cannon. Finally, there's the TAG Cannon which makes it Target-Acquisition-Gun Cannon which it is neither of those, it's a Rocket launcher (although it is mounted in the Stoli's Cannon mount).* DrillSergeantNasty: General Collins is typically hot-headed, especially if you disobey orders or fail objectives.* DyingAlone: Grizzly One's deepest fear.* EarthShatteringKaboom: Happens in the BackStory to Icarus, the Cthonian homeworld, which once occupied an orbit between Mars and Jupiter. [[spoiler: Occurs again at the end of the game on Achilles, a moon of Uranus that curiously resembled Earth, in a tragic case of HistoryRepeats.]]* EliteMooks: The Black Dogs, an elite, hardened NSDF squadron fought in the Soviet campaign. Their vehicles are armed with more powerful weapons then their base NSDF counterparts. Then of course, there are [[spoiler: the Furies.]]* EnemyMine:[[spoiler:All but decimated by the Furies, the surviving forces of the NSDF and CCA must team up to stand against them. It is now better to be Red then dead.]]* EnemyDetectingRadar: Every vehicle is equipped with this, and also gives off a signature that can be detected by everybody else. [[HomingProjectile The Comet Cruise missile uses this to track targets.]] The RED-Field Generator, or Radar Echo Dampening Field Generator, can fool said missile as it completely masks the radar signature of the vehicle using it. The sequel gives every unit radar-specific stats; blip rate, detection radar, and inherent stealth. Turrets, for example, cannot be detected through terrain, and scout units have a huge radar range with a fast blip rate, while assault vehicles radar barely extends to their weapons range.* TheFaceless: No character's face is ever shown, with one exception; at the end of the final Europa level, you get a closeup of a dead CCA soldier, [[{{Squick}} his faceplate shattered]] [[BodyHorror and his face frozen]].* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: Completing the Europa missions for the NSDF shows a screen of a bloated CCA soldier half-buried in the snow with his faceplate shattered. Dying during the Soviet campaign will show a picture of your character's skeleton in a heavily damaged spacesuit.* FirstPersonShooter: Your perspective in-game, whether operating a tank or on-foot with a rifle and sniper scope.* FluffyTheTerrible: Fury ships carry the "Bolt Buddy", a rapid-fire lightning cannon which is one of the most terrifyingly powerful weapons in the game.* ForbiddenZone: During the scrap-gathering mission on Titan, it's possible to come across [[spoiler: the remains of a Cthonian prison, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Tartarus.]] Inspecting it reveals that it was built by [[RivalsTeamUp both Cthonian factions]] and the information database warns of triggering a self-defense mechanism]]. Your CO analyzes the situation and advises you to ''[[SealedEvilInACan stay away]]''.* FrickinLaserBeams: The Blast Cannon and the Flash Cannon ([[InSeriesNickname Also known as the Hot Foot]]), though the latter is actually [[DisintegratorRay a microwave beam.]]* FunWithAcronyms: Several, given the military premise. The's the two armies, NSDF and CCA, as well as STAB (Stabalized Terrain Adapting Base), the mechanism that the mobile turrets use to anchor themselves, as well as EDD (Equal Damage Distribution) plating.* GameBreakingBug: Despite the games updates, sometimes missions can become broken either due to a mistake in the patch or compatibility. The second to last CCA mission requires you to free several engineers from a Black Dog prison and you can find abandoned craft and facilities to help you recapture the recycler but as of 1.5, an engineer will not hop out of the APC and into her unit factory. Thankfully this doesn't break the mission completely, if you're really daring, you can pick up the engineers, run for the recycler, recapture it and still be able to complete the mission without a problem.* GenreBusting: A cross of SimulationGame and RealTimeStrategy, with some FirstPersonShooter thrown in for good measure.* TheGreatestStoryNeverTold: At first, this was because Eisenhower wished to keep at least ''one project'' a secret from the Soviets. Included in his memo is the mention that the NSDF would report to no-one, not even him, and that future administrations would have no knowledge of the organization. This {{Masquerade}} would eventually be broken by events leading up to the sequel.* HandWave: Quite a few, among them the concept of Equal Damage Distribution, or EDD, armor plating, which serves to handwave the lack of location-based damage in the game. However, the fact that the tanks [[HoverTank hover]] is never even handwaved.* HellIsThatNoise: [[spoiler:That tweaking or whatever you call the sound all the Furies make. The buzz of the Fury missile can also count.]]* HitAndRunTactics: One role of the rocket bomber units. Their high speed but low turn rate makes them ideal for running up, firing a volley of rockets then retreating for another go (though AI limitations means only players can pull it off this way). One mission of the CCA campaign has you taking a squadron of bombers to hit-and-run destroy a Black Dog Recycler to save a battalion that is locked in combat.* HistoryRepeats: A particularly poignant case. Grizzly One, [[TheHero the protagonist]], speaks this trope verbatim in the introduction and his thoughts echo the concept throughout the story. In the end, he was completely right. And it wouldn't be the last time, either.* HistoricalInJoke: The famous photo of Neil Armstrong on the moon was taken by General Collins, commander of the NSDF moon base located scant meters from Neil's landing site. NASA thought it was a major mistake to release the picture.* HumanResources: [[spoiler:The Hadean Crown used a craft known as Charon to gather the bodies of dying Greek soldiers in order to make Strain III biometal used in the Furies. It's implied that the Furies capture pilots to use them to create the same strain. This makes them even more unsettling as a Fury unit could potentially be made up of former soldiers that used to fight alongside you]].--> '''"Thunderbolt" Bomber Pilot''': [[spoiler:Get me out of here, I'm not going back in! They harvested the rest of my troops ''and mutilated them''! We have to get out of here!]]* HoverTank: All of the in-game vehicles save the walkers, one of the more obvious benefits of Cthonian technology.* HomingProjectile: Several kinds. The ILS (Image Locking Shadower) missile locks onto the visual signature of a target but can be spoofed by the Phantom VIR device or simply ducking behind cover. The "TAG Cannon" fires a homing tag, followed by a swarm of missiles. The "Thermal Hornet" tracks heat signatures but can be diverted by "Solar Flare" mines. The "Comet" Cruise Missile locks onto radar signatures but can be shaken off by the RED-Field Generator. There's also the slow-moving, massively damaging WASP (Wicked-Ass Super Projectile) missiles used by [[spoiler: the Furies]], which cannot be fooled but [[ShootTheBullet can be destroyed in-flight]] as they hover off the ground. [[VideoGame/{{Battlezone1980}} Sound familiar?]]* HumongousMecha: The NSDF "Sasquatch" and CCA "Golem" walker units, courtesy of Cthonian war tech.* InNameOnly: It has almost nothing in common with the earlier game, except one shot in the intro that shows a vector-based radar screen on the panel of a hovertank. Then again, the earlier game didn't have a ''plot''. That said, the Furies and their weapons are heavily based on the original's saucers.* InSeriesNickname: Many weapons get their own nickname such as the MITS (Magnetic-Inversion-Tethering-Snare) Mine being dubbed the Catcher's Mitt, the Flash Cannon being the Hot Foot, etc.* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Commander Eldridge, an NDSF officer, along with much of his forces: the first victims of the CCA [[HumongousMecha "Golem" walker.]]]]* ItCanThink: It's specifically stated that [[spoiler: the Furies]] are sentient. It makes their unflinching sadism that much more unsettling.* LandMineGoesClick: In addition to various specialist mine types, there are standard proximity mines. These have the ability to distinguish friend from foe and will not harm friendly units. Used en-masse by NSDF "Unabomber" and CCA "Molotov" minelayers.* LethalJokeWeapon: the hard-to find Rave Gun, available in the tutorial mission, slots in for a cannon. It's extremely lethal, and uses minimal ammo. When fired, it plays techno music and shoots balls of flashing multicolored light.* LeaveNoSurvivors: In the CCA campaign, while escorting a series of transports full of civilian scientists, your [[KnowWhenToFoldEm squadron surrenders when they realized they are completely outnumbered]] in a Black Dog ambush. The Black Dogs claim no surrender and attack, making a beeline for your transports.* LightningGun: [[spoiler: Fury saucers and tanks]] are armed with these. Their mines also function as such, zapping nearby enemies as opposed to detonating.* {{Masquerade}}: The opening text and cinematics tell the story of the US cover-up. NASA is a front, and the Apollo program was used to hide the launches of the military bio-metal expeditions. The most brilliant shot in the whole game is right at the beginning; a camera rotates around the Apollo 11 lander, to show an entire army base on the other side.** The sheer scope of the coverup is staggering. [[AllThereInTheManual The manual states]] that the NSDF numbered 1000 men at the start, were funded by the NSA and continued to recruit new troops through NASA. They also possessed at least three capital spacecraft: the [[{{Eagleland}} Liberty, Freedom,]] and [[ThemeNaming Justice.]] Presumably the CCA possessed similar numbers and hardware.* LostTechnology: The whole reason the Americans and Soviets are fighting it out on other planets in the first place.* LudicrousGibs: Astronauts will explode in a shower of gibs when shot or run over. The only time they have a proper death animation is when they're shot with a sniper rifle while outside of a tank.* MacrossMissileMassacre: The TAG (Automated Targeting Gun) Cannon, standard on the CCA "Stoli" Light Tank (which occasionally makes them DemonicSpiders). It first fires a harmless "tag" projectile. If this makes contact with a valid target, the weapon then fires a storm of seeking missiles.* MagneticWeapons: The "MAG Cannon", or Magnetic Acceleration Gun. It fires a [[ChargedAttack Charged]] magnetic blast. Depending on how long the weapon is charged, it can fire a string of weaker projectiles, a shorter burst of larger ones, or a single very large blast.** There are also defensive MagneticWeapons: The M-Curtain, or Magnetic Curtain, deploys a mine that projects a magnetic field around it, reflecting all incoming projectiles. A clever pilot may park his tank within the field, firing out of the field without fear of counterfire. The MITS (Magnetic Inversion Tethering Snare) Mine just does the opposite, pulling all projectiles inward towards it.* MobileFactory: The Recycler, Factory, and Armory.* TheMole: [[spoiler: Wilhelm Arkin, a German scientist]] who worked with the US to design their bio-metal-based equipment. [[spoiler: He defects to the Soviets on Io and takes a Fury relic with him, and is implied to have been feeding them information all along.]]* MythologyGag: The game opens up with a [[VectorGame vector graphics]] movie panning around a [[Videogame/BattleZone1980 green tank]] before zooming out and showing it's merely the radar display on a HoverTank. The main menu likewise has a battle between NSDF and CCA forces in green vector graphics.* {{Narrator}}: Grizzly One himself, who speaks in the introduction and over the loading screen for each mission. His tone and mood are always dour, and he often laments his situation and that of his comrades who get left to die in the dust on hostile, distant planets. [[TheGreatestStoryNeverTold He also regrets that no one on Earth will ever know who he was or why he did what he did]].* NeglectfulPrecursors: The Cthonians, though considering what happened to them, it probably could not be helped.* NintendoHard: The Red Odyssey expansion pack, ''especially'' the Chinese campaign.* NoCanonForTheWicked: Notably, [[AvertedTrope averted.]] The CCA campaign [[GaidenGame is contemporaneous]] with the events of the NSDF one, taking place between the Soviets escaping Mars to Venus with the [[spoiler: Cthonian Flight Log Database]] and [[spoiler: Furies turning against them on Titan.]] It's unknown if the Chinese campaign in Red Odyssey is canon (or indeed the Black Dog one), as it is not touched on in the sequel.** As for the expansion itself, the Chinese campaign is a prequel to the Black Dogs' campaign.* PhlebotinumRebel: The Furies.* {{Precursors}}: The Cthonians, SufficientlyAdvancedAliens who created the [[{{Unobtainium}} Bio-metal.]] [[spoiler: A superweapon one-up war ensued, with Cthonian MadScientist Nexus V topping all by creating [[SealedEvilInACan The Furies]] ([[PoweredByAForsakenChild out of humans]], by the way), who [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters turned on him]] and forced the Cthonians to deploy a DoomsDayDevice that [[EarthShatteringKaboom destroyed their homeworld]] [[{{Gotterdammerung}} and their entire race along with the Furies]] but [[HeroicSacrifice spared humankind.]]]]* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: The protagonist of the main story, referred to as Grizzly One. The same for the character of the Soviet "[[HarderThanHard expert difficulty]]" campaign, called simply "comrade".** Averted by the StrategyGuide, which names both player characters as Jason Bates and Alexi Doyestevski, respectively.* PyrrhicVictory: [[spoiler: The remnants of the NSDF and CCA succeed in defeating the Furies, but [[BolivianArmyEnding likely at the cost of their own lives]]]].* ReassignedToAntarctica: A few mission failure screens imply this in the NSDF campaign, be it driving a scavenger or cleaning them as punishment for your incompetence. This actually happens in ''The Red Odyssey'' during the Chinese campaign that, after having to withdraw through the portal to Elysium, you take the blame for the situation and thus get reassigned to collecting scrap in a Scavenger. This is temporary as both a scout squadron go missing and a base attack leaves you as the only person qualified to command, [[FieldPromotion thus]]...* RealTimeStrategy: The player can command any other units he has built either from his perspective or the satellite view.* ReportingNames: All of the CCA vehicles have these, given to them by the NSDF analysts. Their actual designations are never revealed.* RocketTagGameplay: Tanks annihilate each other with furious intensity, and even the HumongousMecha can be brought town very quickly with a trio of tanks.* SceneryPorn: ''Battlezone 98 Redux'' has an overhauled graphics system with more detailed vehicles and buildings, smoother terrain mesh, lighting system, revamped HeadsUpDisplay, etc. Take for example this render of the [[http://www.rebellion.co.uk/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTYvMDIvMTUvMjBfMDZfNDZfMzU1X0JaX1NjcmVlbl8wXzEuanBnIl0sWyJwIiwidGh1bWIiLCI5NzB4NDQ1IyJdXQ/BZ_Screen_0%231.jpg Ratpack APC]].* SealedEvilInACan: [[spoiler:The Furies, not-so-mindlessly violent {{Attack Animal}}s]].* SentryGun: The NSDF "Badger" and CCA "Pak" mobile, deployable turrets, as well has hardened gun towers built by each side's constructors.* ShellShockedVeteran: [[spoiler: Grizzly One]]-->''I wish the best to those who find [[spoiler: a [[EarthShatteringKaboom fallen meteor]]... who uncover a [[TheGreatestStoryNeverTold little secret]]... who follow the [[TrailOfBreadCrumbs trail]]... who reconstruct [[SealedEvilInACan my nightmare]]]]''* ShockwaveStomp: The "Thumper" special weapon sends a seismic pulse through the ground in front of your tank, damaging structures and upending enemy vehicles. [[AllThereInTheManual The manual mentions that the]] [[LampshadeHanging NSDF eggheads aren't quite sure how it works.]]* ShownTheirWork: [[HandWave Hand Waves]] due to alien tech aside, the manual details how the NSDF intended to support its various field bases, including power concerns and oxygen supplies. For example, plans are laid out for an irrigation system on Io, to prevent bases from getting buried in sulfur dust.* SnipingTheCockpit: The space suit's rifle can be shouldered to activate a heavy sniper rifle capable of penetrating the cockpit of enemy tanks. Killing the pilot allows the player to steal the tank, which is required in a few missions.* StandardStatusEffects: The "Sandbag" non-locking missile inflicts "Slow" on targets by way of sticking any target hit with a magnetic anchoring device.* StuffBlowingUp: Frequently. Everything that can be destroyed, blows up in a suitably graphic fashion, leaving behind bits of scrap for later scavenging. Many of the weapons are designed with this in mind, specifically the aptly-named [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Rocket Bomb]]: A Hornet heat-seeking missile with the "heat-seeking" part taken out and [[BuffySpeak extra boom]] added in. Standard issue on the NSDF "Thunderbolt" and CCA "Grendel" bombers.* SuddenlyShouting: General Collins does this should you fail certain missions.* SuspiciouslySmallArmy: Due to graphical and control restrictions. Grizzly One's dialogue indicates that hundreds of NSDF personnel were killed when the CCA Golem walkers first showed up, despite the largest force fielded in the game having about twenty pilots.* {{Unobtainium}}: The Bio-Metal, which is used to build all vehicles, buildings, and weapons in the game. It has the ability to remember shapes it has previously assumed, which is what allowed US and Soviet scientists to recreate Cthonian-styled vehicles and weapons in the first place. It is commonly found as bits of scrap in great fields anywhere the Cthonians have been, and can also be salvaged from destroyed enemy units. Also a MineralMacGuffin - they don't refer to the events of this game as "The Bio-Metal Wars" in the sequel for nothing. Serves as a PlotCoupon in some missions.* TakeYourTime: No matter how urgent the mission briefing sounds, there are only three timed missions. There are some cases where you can lose if you fail to perform a simple task like going to a location or investigating an object. There's also the race for the Fury relic on the first Io mission, the CCA can capture it first if you're not fast enough.* TimedMission: Subverted: an early Mars NSDF mission tasks you with attacking a CCA base, but the time limit barely gives you enough time to assemble a base that can run itself. However, just when it seems time is going to run out, an MIA squad attacks the CCA base to buy you time, which ends the timer... It then becomes DoubleSubverted in that the platoon will be wiped out entirely if you take too long after that and the mission will fail but it takes a ''lot'' longer than the initial ten minutes it gives you. [[spoiler: Played straight in the Europa mission where you must intercept a transmission, and in the final mission: if you can't get off Achilles in time, you will be left behind]].* ThemeNaming: In the campaign. Aside from the aforementioned NSDF cruisers, their Recyclers are named after US states: Montana, Wyoming, Texas, etc.* ThoseTwoGuys: The pilots of the CCA APC, especially in the second and seventh CCA missions.* {{Tuckerization}}: All over the place. [[PosthumousCharacter Posthumous Characters]] Andrew Goldman and William Stahl (the afformentioned murdered geophysicist and strategist) are named after the game's drector and a designer, NSDF general George Collins is named after the lead designer, producer Mike Arkin shares his last name with scientist Wilhelm Arkin, and art director Kino and lead artist Carey Chico are in the manual as a spy and a vehicle manufacturer.* TropeCodifier: Of RealTimeStrategy games played from the POV of a ' central FrontLineGeneral' instead of an 'all-knowing eye in the sky', which would be used in later games such as ''VideoGame/{{Sacrifice}}'' and ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'', and also through the possession mode in ''VideoGame/DungeonKeeper''.* UnstoppableRage: [[spoiler: The Furies,]] due to an "aggression factor" designed into the type of Bio-Metal they are built of. They are so driven by raw hate that they will abandon whatever they are doing to chase down an enemy. This can prove a weakness: Your superiors advise baiting them into traps.* UnusableEnemyEquipment: [[AvertedTrope Completely averted.]] Any enemy vehicle can be hijacked. [[spoiler: The Furies play this straight... except in the last mission of the Soviet campaign, where a prototype of the basic saucer Fury is not only buildable, but ''pilotable.'']]** [[spoiler: There is also a different type of Fury saucer that's pilotable on the deathmatch map ''Odin's Eye'' but it's locked in by several [=MITS=] mines inside the "eye" of a mountain]].* WeakTurretGun: The NSDF Badger turret and the equivalent CCA Pak, which can hover around and then anchor themselves in the ground virtually anywhere to fire. They are mostly intended to provide point defense in conjunction with your tanks until you can build the much stronger static defenses. However, they ''can'' be equipped with better guns, thanks to the game's modular weapon system.* WhatTheHellHero: General Collins gets incredibly angry should you defy secondary orders such as attacking the heavily fortified CCA base in the first Mars mission and succeed.--> '''General Collins''': Commander, if you hadn't pulled that off I would've had your ass in a sling faster than you could blink, but you did it, good work. But if you ever disobey my orders again I will personally see you left in some remote corner of this godforsaken hole!* XRayVision: The SITE (Sensory Image Terrain Exposing) Camera allows you to see through terrain features to visually locate enemy targets beyond them. Bonus points for explicitly being an "X-Ray device".

----!!Battlezone II features:

''Note that a number of the tropes from the first game also apply here.''

* AbnormalAmmo: ISDF ammunition is mostly bullets, cannon shells and missiles with the occasional EnergyWeapon, but Scion weaponry runs the gamut from plasma cannons to lightning guns and razor-sharp quill launchers. All this with the same shared ammo system from the first game.* AliensAreBastards: And want to kill us all, or so General Armand Braddock would have you believe. [[spoiler: [[InvertedTrope They [[{Transhuman}} aren't really alien at all]] and actually just want to bring the enlightened Cthonian culture back to humanity.]]* AllThereInTheManual: The manual for this game uses a similar FramingDevice to the first, this time as the ISDF's field manual. It contains profiles on the major characters and some letters, among them a transcript from the black box of Major Manson's Wolverine tank concerning a [[ContinuityNod a battle on Titan against the Furies,]] which would seem to indicate he (and possibly others) survived the Bio-Metal Wars. [[spoiler: Given Braddock's later deception, UnreliableNarrator may be at play in said passage - the date implies the Furies are actually escaping Scions]].* AlternateHistory: Set several decades after the Bio-Metal Wars depicted in the first game, it's now TheNineties. Biometal is public knowledge, and the ISDF (the merged CCA and NSDF forces from the first game) is a known, public military force.* ArtificialStupidity: The pathfinding. Unless the commander builds nothing in front of (or anywhere near) their factory and recycler, scavengers will ''always'' decide to ram into them to get scrap 100 meters away on the other side of the building. Said scavengers will also get stuck on each other when trying to get scrap between them, or gleefully plow into a deadly lake when trying to grab scrap near the shore. Heavy treaded tanks often don't take into account their own inertia and the low gravity of the environments, causing them to go tumbling into lethal lakes.* AwesomeButImpractical: The Pulse-Stabber cannon, which is basically a variant of the standard AT-Stabber. When you fire the Pulse-Stabber, it shoots a cannon shell that pulses out bursts of radiation, damaging everything that passes near the shell, even if the shell doesn't actually hit them. However, it starts pulsing ''immediately'' after you shoot it, meaning that it'll damage you if you fire while moving forward. Largely useless (but awesome) in the standard game, it becomes far more useful in the ''Fleshstorm'' mod, to kill the hordes of weak Swarm units.* BaseOnWheels: The ISDF Recycler and Scion Matriarch roll to their deployment site and unfold into a giant factory.* BigBad: Scion Padishah Frank Burns. [[spoiler: Or so your character is made to think. Braddock is the real monster.]]* BlindJump: When a wormhole opens up on the Dark Planet, General Braddock orders his carrier (and by extension, [[PlayerCharacter you]]) to follow the Scion dropship through the portal, without having any idea where it leads.* BubblegloopSwamp: Planet Mire.* CaptainsLog: Like the first game, each mission starts off with a spoken journal record by John Cooke, which shows his divided loyalties between [[GeneralRipper General Braddock]] and the empathetic [[AFatherToHisMen Major Manson]] when [[BlindJump stranded halfway across the universe]].* ChargedAttack: The MAG (Magnetic Accelerator Gun) Cannon has different attacks depending on how long you charge it. The Combat variant sprays the projectiles in a shotgun spread with longer charges making the spray tighter and a full charge unleashing a barrage of powerful projectiles. The Assault variant works like it does in the first game with short charges producing streams of small projectiles and longer charges firing less but more bigger projectiles. Unlike in the first game, the weapon will continue to consume ammo at full charge.* CivilWarcraft: [[spoiler:Happens with both sides over the course of the campaign. Once Cooke joins Braddock against the Scions, the ISDF splinters into Braddock's New Regime and Major Manson's AAN Loyalists which plan on returning to Earth with the news of Braddock's takeover but you're sent in to clean up any resistance and silence any witnesses, further solidifying your MoralEventHorizon. Should you join the Scions however, the Scions have an issue of their own with a clan of Scions not wishing to colonize the Dark Planet into a new Core as that would mean them returning to the Solar System, preferring death over going back from where they fled. You also aid the AAN Loyalists against Braddock's New Regime on the Scion side as well]].* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: The ISDF use orange body panel with exposed gray interiors on their tanks, yellow for support units, and blue and black for flying units. The Scions use dark gray, blue, and yellow highlights on their tanks, and brown and yellow on support units.* ColorCodedMultiplayer: Strategy and [[CoOpMultiplayer MPI]] game modes default to Team 1 having red units and Team 2 having blue units. Free-for-all strategy has Yellow and Green. In deathmatch, each player is given a random color at the start of the round - every player fears the neon pink [[HumongousMecha Attila]].* ContinuityNod: The radio transmitter discovered on Bane that Braddock bombs into oblivion has the [[spoiler: Black Dogs' sigil]]* ConvectionSchmonvection: Averted. If you hop out of your tank and walk to the edge of a lava lake, you ''will'' die. Hovertanks flying over lava will slowly take damage from the heat.* CoOpMultiplayer: The MPI (Multi-Player Instant) mode has one player take on the role of the [[ACommanderIsYou Commander]], who builds units and buildings. Other players on his/her team can be given units to order around personally, and they generally do most of the fighting against the AI team, leaving the commander and his mooks to defend the base.* CrewOfOne* CutscenePowerToTheMax: The introduction shows Scion Warrior tanks killing turrets, tanks, and guntowers with a single shot, and depicts them mounting MAG cannons, which are an ISDF-exclusive weapon.* DarkWorld: The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin aptly-named Dark Planet]], though not so much in the sense of this trope as being a planet that is really, really dark, but unnaturally so, with a permanent planet-wide electrical storm. It ''does'' feature unnaturally geometric terrain and a sense that something is just... [[EldritchLocation wrong, about the place.]] [[spoiler: Though the planet's origin is never made clear, what is apparent is that it is ripe to be terraformed into a clone of the Scion's adopted homeworld, Core]].* DefectorFromDecadence: [[spoiler:[[{{Lzherusskie}} Yelena Shabayev, your commanding officer.]] After disappearing on Bane in a DropShip crash and [[NeverFoundTheBody being presumed dead]], she later reappears on Rend as a Scion, urging you not to side with the power-hungry Braddock. Major Manson is this as well, initially complicit in Braddock's conspiracy, going so far as to have you destroy a "[[BlatantLies Scion]]" mining rig on the Dark Planet. He later forms an ISDF splinter-group of Earth-Government loyalists against Braddock, who at that point plans to return to Earth in force and institute a military dictatorship]].* DoomsDayDevice: What the ISDF believe the massive machines found on Rend, Mire and Bane to be. [[spoiler: They're not. They're part of a [[{{Terraform}} terraformation]] system intended to transform the Dark Planet into a new Core, as the old one is somehow "dying" and [[KeystoneArmy taking the Scions with it in droves]]]].* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Braddock's address to his troops on Titan, [[AllThereInTheManual found in the manual,]] has suspiciously similar language to WarOnTerror rhetoric, though the game is older than such.* DropShip: The ISDF uses massive vectored-thrust dropships with detachable hangars in order to ferry its assets to the surface of planets, as the ISDF Carrier is too large to land on a planet. The Scions have a functionally similar craft.* EasterEgg: Adjusting each of the major sound sliders in the options plays a sound clip, which in sequence says:--> "Hmm.. I can see it now: Manson's ''Battlezone''... ''3'' Hey, I ain't got nothing else to do!"* EmergencyTransformation: [[spoiler: The Scions, apparently]].* TheEngineer: The Constructor/Builder units, and the Service Truck/Healer units. The Constructor/Builder sets up all the base equipment, and the Service Truck/Healer repairs base assets and vehicles.* EscortMission: At one point on [[SlippySlideyIceWorld Bane]] you must guide a damaged [[BaseOnWheels Recycler]] across a frozen lake. The Recycler's operator informs you that his sensor system is fried, but if you shoot out all the thinner ice patches, thus creating a visible path, he radios you that he can make the trip on his own. Doesn't make his [[ArtificialStupidity pathfinding]] any better though. HilarityEnsues as you sit watching him bumble around.** The ''Fleshstorm 2'' mod has two escort missions in a row. In one, you have to escort three unarmed transports through some canyons; not too bad. The second mission has you escorting a Recycler through a planet that is ''on fire''. You have a single Service Truck, Scout, and Assault Tank to help you. The entire mission is a balancing act between repairing each of your vehicles with the Truck, and pushing ahead to wipe out resistance - if you push too far ahead or take too much damage, you can't make it back to the repair truck before dying. The best part? If you eject, ''you die''.* EverybodysDeadDave: [[spoiler:The bad ending, where you side with Braddock. Every other named character is dead, and you return to earth a "hero". [[WasItReallyWorthIt But was it worth it?]] In this ending, humanity never gets to know what the Scions were really trying to accomplish]].* FacelessGoons: The Scion pilots; nothing is visible behind the yellow-blue tinfoil hat... thing on their head. ISDF pilots on the other hand, have a face visible behind their visor.* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: Dying as an ISDF soldier shows you a [[http://i.imgur.com/x9ZiJeR.jpg failure screen]] with your avatar exploding and simultaneously being ripped apart from a plasma cannon shot. Dying as a Scion shows a failure screen with your character [[ImMelting melting into a pool of biometal, with only a hand reaching out]].* FieldPromotion: Cooke is promoted by General Braddock over the course of the game.* FieryRedhead: Shabayev, as revealed in her [[http://www.bzcomplex.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=66&pos=80 concept art.]]* ForeShadowing: Long before you gain any insight into the Scions' true nature you can hear personal messages sent between Frank Burns and Braddock, almost as if they were [[TheRival old rivals]]...** [[AllThereInTheManual If you read the manual,]] Shabayev's [[spoiler: DefectorFromDecadence moment is [[ForeShadowing Foreshadowed]] by]] her psychiatric evaluation's note of her having an "[[LampshadeHanging overdeveloped sense of justice]]".* FragileSpeedster: The ISDF Mortar Bike, ISDF Scout, and Scion Drone. Both the Scout and Drone have a pitiful amount of armor but have excellent radar and are very quick - particularly the Drone which can fit a Blink teleporter. The Mortar Bike has even less armor which is combined with a weapon that tends to inflict self-damage, and was so fast that it ''broke the game's netcode'' until the 1.3 patch dropped it to more reasonable levels.* GameMod: Many.** The ''Forgotten Enemies'' mod adds a whole new campaign longer than the original game's, and adds two new playable races.** The ''Fleshstorm'' and ''Fleshstorm 2'' mods add three new races (two of which are playable), and both have a NintendoHard campaign.* GeneralRipper: Braddock, [[spoiler: Ex-MadScientist turned would-be dictator. This guy is such a JerkAss that siding with the Scions against him leads to the game's ''good'' ending.]]* HumongousMecha: The ISDF Attila Landmaster walker, which has two giant laser cannons on its arms and two smaller lasers under the cockpit. The Scion's [[SpiderTank Spider-Walker]] is more of a MiniMecha by comparison.* HitAndRunTactics: The Scion Mauler seems designed for this with its [[ShortRangeShotgun Fang Cannon]] and its ability to run past an enemy and deliver a pointblank blast then retreat.* ImMelting: The failure screen for the Scion campaign shows your character melting into a pool of biometal.* InstantWinCondition: Destroying the other team's Recycler in multiplayer or instant action will instantly win the game.* LargeHam: Braddock.* LaserSight: Switching to third person activates a laser sight on your tank, emanating from the weapon's mount, to assist with aiming (unless Mortars or Specials are being used). This is client-sided so only you can see them.* LatexSpaceSuit: ISDF troops have form-fitting space suits, with a built-in armored chest-piece, the form fitting part may be so they can fit into their vehicles easily.* LethalLavaLand: Planet Rend.* LightningBruiser: The ISDF Sabre and the Scion Warrior. The best armor for any of the hover units, good speed, great firepower, good maneuverability.* LightningGun: The Scion Arc cannon. It shoots five quick lightning pulses with great range and accuracy, at the cost of low ammo capacity and low fire rate.* MajorlyAwesome: Major Manson. He's a morally conscious officer, leads from the front lines, [[spoiler: [[HeelFaceTurn assists the Scions]]]], and [[UnreliableNarrator possibly]] fought during the conflict from the first game, in the 1960s, making him in his [[BadassGrandpa late 60s to early 70s]].* {{Masquerade}}: The first game's Masquerade is broken, Earth knows all about Bio-Metal, though the details of the Bio-Metal Wars as depicted in the first game are still the subject of WikiLeaks-style guerrilla journalism. [[spoiler: [[TheGreatestStoryNeverTold Nobody remembers Grizzly One, though.]] Instead we have Braddock's personal Masquerade in attempting to hide the true identity of the Scions and cloaking his own operations on Pluto and the Dark Planet from the eyes of the AAN.]]** The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oewk8TX6KSs&t=27s intro]] brilliantly {{lampshades}} this: the Voyager 2 approaches the Dark Planet, starts to scan the surface and finds a military base which launches a missile at the probe. Said probe then switches into "battle mode", retracting its antennas and jettisoning the big comm dish in favor of dual plasma cannons and the ISDF/AAN logo. Wonder how the ISDF managed to pack THAT into a little space probe without anyone noticing...* MultipleEndings: Two, depending on whether you [[spoiler: transport the wounded Scion leader to [[FateWorseThanDeath Braddock,]] or return him to the Scions and join their cause]].* TheMole: In the BackStory. Shabayev was an FSB ([[UsefulNotes/RussiansWithRustingRockets The successor to the]] KGB) agent who had infiltrated the highest levels of the CIA. When she was uncovered, she was recommended for ISDF recruitment instead of punishment.* {{Narrator}}: In the tradition of the first game, loading screens feature narration by the player character, in this case one John Cooke. He describes himself as having once been a simple farm boy, gazing up at the stars, always dreaming of one day visiting them. Now that he finally has, he finds that the universe [[CrapsackWorld is far crueler]] then he could have ever imagined.* NotPlayingFairWithResources: The AI has a "scrap cheat" which gives them a small amount of resources every minute, but they still need to gather resources to get any decent units. Later patches allow the player to disable it for the AI, or give it to themselves.* NotQuiteFlight: A [[JumpPhysics bunnyhopping-esque]] bug in the games physics engine allowed tanks with high thrust-to-weight ratios like the Thunderbolt Scout or Jackal Bike to fly hundred meters into the air and hover for quite some time with careful use of the jump and reverse thrusters. The 1.3 update significantly reduced the amount of airtime one can achieve.* NewEraSpeech: Padishah Frank Burns. [[SubvertedTrope subverted]], as Burns is [[spoiler:no longer considered a villain at this point, he delivers this speech in the good ending]].* ObviousBeta: Shipped with a completely broken multiplayer component and a plethora of glitches. Most glitches were fixed quickly, but some weren't fixed until the unofficial patches (by the original programmer) started coming out.* OhCrap: At one point in some Cthonian ruins on Bane, you discover a small transmission unit. Almost immediately, Braddock orders the area bombed to shreds, giving you scant minutes to evacuate the area. [[spoiler: You later find out why: the transmitter in question bore [[ContinuityNod the insignia of the Black Dog squadron]]]].* PaddedSumoGameplay: In comparison to the original, ''Combat Commander'' features more lengthy engagements, partly to compensate for the tanks being more stable firing platforms and to give the player time to intervene in distant fights due to the absence of the original's instant-access satellite uplink view.* PhlebotinumOverload: [[spoiler:The reason the Scions cannot live without the Core planet, the systems perform bio-metal dialysis to prevent it from overwhelming them.]]* PhlebotinumRebel: [[spoiler: The Scions turn out to be this, [[SecretProjectRefugeeFamily having escaped Braddock's attempt to create super soldiers]]]].* PlayingWithSyringes: In case you're wondering why [[spoiler: Braddock is such a {{Jerkass}},]] here's what went down. [[spoiler: Braddock attempted to create [[SuperSoldier Super Soldiers]] using [[ContinuityNod the NSDF's Black Dogs]] and the Bio-Metal, without the knowledge of his AAN superiors. The Black Dogs, led by Frank Burns, [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters rebelled against him for his deceit and what he did to them,]] fleeing into the depths of space. [[{{Masquerade}} Braddock could not pursue without attracting attention, so he built a base on Pluto and eventually the Dark Planet, preparing for their inevitable return.]]]]* PlutoIsExpendable: [[AvertedTrope Averted.]] Pluto is the first planet that appears in the game and was the site of the ISDF's [[MeaningfulName Cerberus]] base, ostensibly intended to keep watch for any alien incursions into the Solar System.* PollutedWasteland: Specific parts of Bane which are ground-zero areas of where, presumably, nuclear weapons had been used long ago by a previous civilization (which may or may not be Cthonian) and responsible for the planet-wide nuclear winter. While it's not in featured in the story, it's available in Instant Action and Multiplayer.* PowerCrystal: Three, which act as power sources for the Scions' "Alchemator" devices.* UnreliableNarrator: The "ISDF: A Secret History" letter in the manual implies that the Scions were involved in the events of the first game. Instead of the [[spoiler: Soviets recreating a Cthonian superweapon in the Furies, they were created from the Black Dogs by Braddock back on Earth, and he formed the ISDF from the NSDF and CCA to fight them, rather then a union of necessity forged on Titan when the Soviet Furies rebelled.]] Braddock also [[RedHerring refers to the Scions as Furies]] on several occasions.* SequelDifficultyDrop: ''Combat Commander'' is a much less brutal game than ''1998'' was; you have a limitless source (though limited storage) of biometal from the biometal pools, units as a whole have a ''lot'' more health, and your own units are much more competent and [[ArtificialStupidity less likely to run you over]] than they were in the first game.* SergeantRock: Major Manson.* ShiftingSandLand: The other biome that makes up Mire. Though not featured in the story, it's still used in Instant Action and Multiplayer.* ShortRangeShotgun: The ISDF Pummel gun. The top range is 50 meters (out-ranged by ''everything'' in the game, save for the Scion Quill and Fang), and the effective range is about a fifth of that.* SlippySlideyIceWorld: Planet Bane which was forced into a nuclear winter from, presumably, nuclear weapons used by a previous civilization (who may or may not be Cthonian) eons before the events of the game occur. [[RuleOfThree Noticing a pattern yet?]]* SpaceIsNoisy: Comes into play on planets with little or no known atmosphere in both games. ** For ''Battlezone 2'', the ISDF blast-laser's assault variant makes a "bang" noise when fired. This is not unrealistic, because real-life pulsed lasers also go make noise as the channel of air they pass through rapidly heats up and expands, producing blast waves. Same thing happens in the target, a tiny portion of it instantly and brutally vaporizes, sending destructive shockwaves throughout it. However, it also goes makes noise on planets with little or no known atmosphere.* SpiderTank: The Scions have a ''three-legged'' one that shoots [[AbnormalAmmo razor-sharp quills]].* StealthBasedMission: At one point you must navigate the swamps and jungles of Mire on foot, avoiding Scion patrols, to reach an ISDF base. You ''could'' snipe a Scion vehicle and use that to make the journey faster, but you'll likely end up [[LightningGun just getting fried by the Lightning Towers.]]* StockScream: A few Scion units reuse voice clips from the first game, albeit with the Scions' VoiceOfTheLegion-ish filter. [[spoiler: This may actually be [[JustifiedTrope justified,]] considering the Scions were once the NSDF's Black Dog squadron.]]** Oddly enough, most of the Scion voices are the [[spoiler: CCA/Soviet]] voices from ''Battlezone'' with the filter added, and the radio static removed.* TimedMission: [[spoiler: The escape from Core after you have destroyed its main reactor, the final mission of the "bad" path]].* TransHumanAliens: [[spoiler: The Scions are actually the remnant of a SuperSoldier program that fused humans with Biometal]].* SuperDrowningSkills: Pilots and walkers can stay immersed underwater indefinitely. Treaded units such as the Scavenger or Assault Tank will begin to take damage the instant their treads are immersed in water, as if they water were lava. * TechDemoGame: The game brought powerful computers to their knees in order to power its [[SceneryPorn unmatched graphics]].* TheFaceless: Despite the large amount of character interaction this game has, especially when compared to the first game, you only see ''one'' character's face, though [[http://www.bzcomplex.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=66 concept art exists]] for all major characters. [[spoiler: On the mission where you need to retrieve Padishah Burns from the crashed carrier, you can hop out of your tank and look at his chariot thing, with Burns sitting in it]].* TheFederation: The AAN, an UN-like organization intended to help fairly distribute bio-metal amongst developing nations.* TheReveal: Several, mostly concerning the Scions, Braddock's dark past and everything that happened as a result. [[spoiler: Near the end of the game, either Braddock or Burns will tell you everything you didn't already know or figure out.]]* TruceZone: Later in the game, Ambassador Kossieh of the AAN attempts to broker a human-Scion truce on Rend. The player and a detachment of ISDF troops wait around in a Scion base while Frank Burns boards a DropShip to meet with Kossieh on a Carrier in low orbit. [[spoiler: Until the DropShip explodes in the Carrier, sending it plummeting to the surface. You later learn that [[MoralEventHorizon Braddock rigged the DropShip, to off both Burns AND Kossieh]] [[FalseFlagOperation and to make it look like a Scion attack,]] reinforcing Braddock's position and [[TakeOverTheWorld bringing him one step closer to his goal]]]].* UniversalDriversLicense: You can pilot almost every unit in the game. This includes ''morphing alien tanks''.** Except the tugs, construction units, and artillery. Apparently, a floating tow truck baffles Lt. Cooke. Though it's probably because no player would want to pilot one anyways.** [[spoiler:The ability to pilot Scion vehicles may be a case of the fact the Scions are made up of the Black Dog Squadron of the first game and probably use the same controls for their craft]].* WasOnceAMan: [[spoiler:The Scions. Later on, Yelena Shabayev and optionally, the player character. [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in that they have come to enjoy being what they are]].* WeaponisedLandmark: Kind of. An early cinematic sees the Voyager 2 probe picking up a threat in space. It retracts its antennas and transforms into laser-armed "battlemode".